Arizona Cardinals defensive end Chandler Jones is coming off a career-year in the 2017 NFL season. However, his stellar outing seemed to largely fly under the radar compared to the other efforts in the league.
Fortunately, Jones is not too distraught about the lack of attention. According to Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic, he is more focused on the expectations he has for himself:
“I was just telling one of the younger guys, he told me, ‘You have a lot of sacks but you don’t get a lot of recognition and people don’t really say anything,'” Jones said. “I said, ‘From who? Recognition from who? I don’t really care.’ I try to come out here and do my job. If you worry your whole life about the ratings or who says what, you’ll never go anywhere because you’re just living up to someone else’s expectations.”
It is encouraging to see that Jones is not discouraged by the lack of recognition he has received. Even if it is difficult to put a finger on why that is.
Jones led the NFL with 17.0 sacks and 28 tackles for loss en route to first-team All-Pro honors. In fact, no one has registered more sacks and tackles for loss than him since he came to Arizona prior to the 2016 campaign. However, he has been somewhat snubbed when it comes to being considered as one of the game's elite defenders. That said, it is clear Jones is ready to take his game to a whole new level.
He will be transitioning to defensive end this season in the Cardinals' new 4-3 defense. Although it may be a minor adjustment, it should not be long before Jones is recognized as one of the NFL's premier edge rushers.
Follow Us
Subscribe